This just in: Baseball to bring Peace to the Mideast

Baseball's in the air, can you feel it? Can you just taste it? Twins Fest going on in here, one big love fest at the old hump in downtown Mpls known as the Metrodome. Lots of autographs, jerseys for sale, bats and balls, and chatter about the upcoming season and the Twins chances. Hope Springs Eternal for baseball fans each spring, as embodied by the ubiquitous Cubs fan chant as they end each season, "wait until next year...". When your team is 0-0 come April, you're dead even with all those other teams, including the guys who won the World Series last year.

Mauer, Mauer, Mauer -- lots of chatter about when will the Twins sign him, will he stay in Minnesota? This kid now has Rock Star status, an unbelievable amount of what is now national attention from the old and young, male and female. And he handles it all with aplomb and grace and style, kudo's to him for that public persona that matches the private persona. Nice guys can finish first, I knew it.

Jim Thome now a Twin, more power from the left side of the plate - consummate professional and all-around good guy. Very well a future hall of famer, he's hit 564 that landed on the other side of the fence (I'm going out on a limb here and assuming he's never had an inside-the-parker, but that's just me...). Gonna have to see what we got from the mound, both the starters and the relievers. Last time I checked pitching really matters in this game. See what Liriano looks like after wintering down in the Dominican. See if Pavano and Baker and Slowey can eat up innings and put up quality starts.

The Hot Stove League is alive and well in chilly Mpls/St Paul. God Bless Baseball. Oh and buy that new bio on Willie Mays I just read about in the NY Times. That will keep you warm through February.

We're Goin' Out West Where the Sand's Turnin' to Gold

He slid inside the door quietly, flat-brimmed hat pulled down hard over his eyes, if they can't see your eyes, they can't see your heart. He bumped along the back row, feeling for chairs and people with his feet. His eyes were still squinting from the quick move from brilliant Wyoming sunshine outside to darkness all around inside the bar. After a few more shuffles, some muffled, " 'scuse me.. thanks... sorry man.." he found a high-table in the back with a lone chair and slid on down into the chair. As the waitress stepped toward him and smiled and with every ounce of kindness ever embodied in a woman who had spent most of her lifetime being beaten down by life and another man that treated her poorly, she said lovingly, "how are you? You look tired. Can i get ya' somethin' from the bar sir?" Sir. Hell, it had been 20 years since anyone man, woman or child had addressed him as sir. "yea, thanks, just a tap beer and some of those good peanuts in the shell, thanks alot."

As he took the first sip from the tall glass he could feel himself exhale deeply, almost as if he was feeling the deep sadness and loss of the past few months leave his body, at least for a little while. A rather small man up in the front of the room, with long stringy hair and a beat-up old panama hat, a red and black checked plaid shirt and scuffed up black cowboy boots took one last sip from his drink, kissed a dirty-blonde girl next to him that was wearing one of those flour-sack sun dresses that the sun shone right through, and grabbed his acoustic guitar and stepped back up on the stage for his next set. With the harmonica rack around his neck he led into a slow, rhythmic lament, struming along in a strong, sturdy way while he quietly picked his way through the harmonica. When he finally moved his head toward the mic to sing, you could see a deep, reddish scar moving from his right ear down a couple inches toward the corner of his mouth. He looked to be about 40 or so, with a face that seemed to hold every mile of bad road that he had ever run down. His raspy voice started in a low register as he sang about a woman he had met and left in the high country of Mexico -- the Sierra Madre's, Cortelon, Azetal. He sang about how he spent years trying to find her, once he got out of jail in Ponchetula. He never found her, and now he longs to sleep, because he can only find her and see her face in his dreams.

Free At Last, Free At Last... Thank God A'Mighty, We're Free At Last!!!

I guess you're not really a Blogger, or a Baller for that matter, unless you ACTUALLY blog once in a while. Oop's. I never intended to go away for so long, I got so enamored with finally getting a blog site cranked up around Christmas, I then somehow got busy doing everything else, and have not had a post since. Embarassing, and ridiculous.

So now it's mid January, the Vikings are currently playing Dallas in playoff football, Dodgeball mania comes to the 'View tonight and we have turned the calendar from the 00's decade to the '10's decade. Ain't it funny how time slips away, I think Al Green had a song by that name.

We recently celebrated Martin Luther King's birthday, and the kids and others have this coming Monday off for the national holiday. There are not many public figures that are bigger in my book than King. If I show my hand, my heart, I'm a big non-violence guy, I'm a big anti-war guy, I'm a big peace and love guy. You would think most people would be about non-violence, peace and love, wouldn't you? Essentially, all of these ways and methods are the teachings and the ways of Christ. Ghandi used them, King used them, St Paul and the other key writers in the bible preached them. I guess it essentially starts with your philosophy as to what life is all about - what is important, what is the deeper meaning of life, and your basic outlook on people and how to treat people and how to effect change and improvement in people and in societies.

King knew how to build coalitions, how to mobilize people for a cause, he knew how to inspire people to work for the cause and to commit for the long haul. To not let set-back's and hardships crush the spirit and the will to march on and always work for a better day. You hear people talk about whether we as a nation have realized King's dream or not, some will lament that we should be much farther along the road of social justice and how we treat people both within America and without. That there's still too much hatred, racism, exclusionary thinking. I think the answer is in many ways we are at a better place because of the amazing leadership and commitment and tireless efforts King and the thousands of freedom fighters that stood shoulder to shoulder with him in the streets. Absolutely. We also have miles to go before we sleep, as Robert Frost reminded us. The fight is never over, the work of justice and freedom is never over. Don't despair if we are not as far along as we should be, just work harder to improve things going forward.